


if you need

by calcetineys



Series: hartford [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gilmore Girls references, M/M, Mild Gore, Unhappy Ending, but you don't really need to have watched it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 22:03:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18678229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calcetineys/pseuds/calcetineys
Summary: Theo fails.





	if you need

**Author's Note:**

> There’s some references in here that are kind of important, but if you’re not familiar with it, basically all you need to know is that the people they’re talking about are _snakes_ and they _love_ each other.
> 
> Originally posted on Tumblr.

Stiles hadn’t expected to get rid of Theo like this. 

To be honest, he was sort of hoping for something a little more poetic, unexpected but completely expected, something ridiculous like the rest of this goddamn mess. The scenario he thought most likely would be Scott standing over Theo like he had with Belasko and telling him that he could either run or get something else broken.

Stiles would even be there a few paces behind Scott and say his dutiful line again: “I’d run.”

But something even more expectedly unexpected happened. 

Theo was dying because he was a failure. 

After what- nine years of doing just fine, suddenly his body decided ‘yup, that’s enough of that’, and started to shut down. And at a very inconvenient time too, when they were fighting (trying to survive) the Doctors. 

Probably the only reason that those sons of bitches hadn’t offed this other son of a bitch was because they didn’t have their usual offing equipment. Stiles supposes Theo should count his blessings, but then he remembers why euthanasia is a thing, because Theo breathing is disgustingly damp and his ears are bleeding silver. 

He figures the whole thing has to be pretty painful. 

Then Theo does that thing he does where he makes things difficult for Stiles, and calls his name, despite how clearly it hurts him to speak, what with all the blood and bile and mercury Stiles is sure is building up in the back of his throat.

“Stiles,” Theo says again, this time trying to lift a hand slick with mercury. 

“Yeah, alright,” Stiles says, ducking down to avoiding getting hit by the Doctors and crawling his way to the dying chimera, because he really does _not_ want to hear his name bastardized by that squelching voice again. 

But Theo never does what Stiles wants, and he says his name again as he leans over Theo, his voice horrifying and relieved that Stiles actually came to him. 

Stiles really doesn’t want to look at the matching expression.

So he tries lifting Theo’s shoulders to get him into a sitting position, which is a lot harder than Stiles thought it would be, and he only started doing it because he figured it _wouldn’t_ be an easy task and thereby take up a lot of Theo’s Dying Hour and relieve Stiles of having to, you know, deal with that. 

“Alright, well, now you’re less likely to suffocate by your own internal fluids,” Stiles says once Theo’s in a more or less seated position against the wall. “Now you can, um, die with dignity? What do doctors says here?”

“Stiles,” oh, well, there goes that hope. 

“Uh, yeah, I’ll listen if you quit saying my name,” Stiles says, wincing because he should be gentler, because Theo’s _dying_ but well. It’s Theo. 

He reminds himself that Theo _did_ call out to him, literally with one of his dying breaths, and he can’t imagine that the dying boy next to him thinks there’s anything to gain from doing such a strange thing. 

Stiles wonders if that means that everything Theo’s tried to convince him of since the whole ‘hey, I’m actually a chimera and you were right about me all along, but now let me tell you why you were also _wrong_ ’ reveal happened. 

Unless he’s going to ask Stiles to avenge him or something. 

Yeah, Stiles tells himself. That’s really more likely to be the reason.

Except- Theo doesn’t ask for Stiles to go kill someone for him, or draw an X on the dusty floor with his blood or breathe out any names that Stiles should definitely remember and find the people to whom said names belong and make a nightmare of said people’s lives. 

No, he says a different name for a very different reason and reaches his hand towards Stiles again, more up than out, because his position really was on the ‘less’ side of ‘more or less sitting’. 

He’s so pathetic that Stiles lets him take his hand, and doesn’t even fully wince at the wet feeling of Theo’s skin. 

“I-” Theo says, heaving a big, horrible breath. “I wanted to be your Richard.”

“…is that some weird way of saying you wanted to be my dick?” Stiles asks, because he doesn’t understand what Theo could be talking about, especially when he’s _dying_. Although, maybe Theo would have had better results if he pretended to be someone named Richard instead of pretending to be the same boy Stiles and Scott knew in grade school. “Because, _Theo_ , depending on which meaning of the word you’re going with, you definitely are.”

He looks up at Stiles, a pained smile on his face and grips his hand tight. “I wanted- wanted to be your Richard. I wanted you to be my Emily.”

Stiles blinks at him. 

“ _Gilmore Girls_ references? Now?”

Theo nods, the motion seeming difficult. 

“Wait, why are you Richard, aside from the dick discussion, and the fact you have more facial hair than me? Because I meet more of the criteria,” Stiles says, not completely sure why he’s humoring the awful person slumped in front on him. “I’m taller, and Emily was the main one scheming which- come on, is a _you_ thing more than it is mine.”

“Because,” Theo says, voice wet, likely due to the blood bubbling up at his lips. “Emily outlives him.”

Stiles stares at him, sort of expecting those to be his final words, because they are sufficiently dramatic- a favored quality for Theo. It would even be sort of poetic, because the last thing Theo would say before death was something about life, and well, Stiles didn’t think he’d see the last of Theo without some sort of flair. 

But Theo’s eyes don’t roll back or go dark, his chest still heaves and he keeps looking at Stiles, waiting for a reaction. 

“Well… I appreciate the sentiment,” Stiles says, and it’s not really a lie, because that’s probably the nicest thing Theo’s ever said to him. That Stiles believed, anyway. “Uh, did this revelation come before or after the whole- choking on mercury thing?”

Theo makes this god-awful noise, and Stiles is pretty sure it’s supposed to be a laugh. 

“Before,” Theo says, sucking in a sharp breath and clutching at his side with his free hand. “Way before.”

“Ah.”

“Stiles,” Theo says, somehow managing to sound amused instead of sounding like death. “I’m dying. Give me a little more than that, _please_.”

“You know, I would have thought it more likely that someone would beg me to shut up with their dying breath, not to talk more. I’m going to tell people about this when they say I talk too much.”

“Glad to be of service,” Theo sounds like he means it. 

“Uhh…” Stiles says, the sound more like a groan than a word.

“I know you don’t believe me-” Theo starts to say, only to choke off and yeah, maybe the Doctors were actually merciful to put their chimeras down when they started leaking mercury. 

“Oh, if I had dime for every time you said that to me,” Stiles says, partly so Theo doesn’t have to speak and mostly because it’s true. “Might be able to get the Jeep out of the shop.”

Theo sucks in a breath, grinning, teeth grotesque. 

“New seat covers too. Or well, seat covers period,” Stiles goes on.

“Maybe an air freshener to hide the smoke smell?” 

Stiles has to look away, because he doesn’t want to think about that night. 

Except, Theo makes a sound that Stiles guesses is a whine, and his eyes are pleading as Stiles looks back at him, as though Stiles turning away pained him.

“Stiles-”

“Hey, we had a deal, remember? I listen to you dying and you don’t say my name in your truly horrific dying voice.”

“Guess I won’t be-” Theo says, trying to sit up more, “-keeping my end of this deal.”

Stiles presses his lips together and looks away again. 

“I would have, though,” Theo says, like he wants Stiles to look at him again. And Stiles doesn’t want to admit that he sounds genuine.. “I would have- _mm_ \- been a good Richard.”

“I can never watch this show again,” Stiles mutters. 

“No- _ugh_ \- watch it-” Theo seems really determined and Stiles starts to panic. That can’t be a good sign. “I would have been.” 

“Would, could, should,” Stiles says quietly, not even to be cruel, looking at Theo’s hand in his. 

“I should have,” Theo chokes out, and the tears on his face are clear now, instead of silver. “I should have.”

“Yeah, well,” Stiles says, glancing towards the sounds of the fighting. He’s sort of surprised that when he looks back, Theo’s still alive, because, again, he’s still expecting clichés. “Nice to know you realize I’m at least the consolation prize.”

“You’re _not_ ,” Theo pants. “I should have- _huug_. Should have realized- _ahh_ \- that the rest didn’t matter.”

“I’ll say I believe you,” Stiles says, now not knowing if _he’s_ the one lying or not. 

Theo smiles, and it’s not all grotesque teeth this time. It seems happy, so maybe Stiles is telling the truth, or maybe Theo’s too gone to listen for a lie. 

“You know, this is probably the worst thing you’ve ever done to me,” Stiles says. 

“Dying?” Theo asks, holding an amused expression for a longer than Stiles would have thought possible. 

“Like this. Clutching my hand, telling me all your regrets. Ruining _Gilmore Girls_ for me.”

“That’s- what you’re worried about?”

“I guess. I’m still not great at handling the whole death thing. I should be, considering how much I have to deal with it.”

“Sorry.”

“Yeah, I bet.”

“I am, Stiles.”

“Again, with the name! I’m going to have to start going by my given name, okay?”

“Mi-”

Stiles puts his hand over Theo’s mouth. “Don’t.”

Theo just closes his eyes. Then Stiles feels his mouth move, hears a little sound and there’s not much he’s ever been certain about with Theo, but he knows the dying boy is mouthing _sorry_ again. 

“Thanks,” Stiles says, because it’s more than he expected. 

And Theo starts throwing up. Right into his hand, which is- 

“Lovely,” Stiles says, no heat in his voice, because he’s way past that point. “You know, that wasn’t even really throwing up? It was more like a waterfall coming out of your mouth. God, I thought I had enough nightmare fodder before.” 

Stiles didn’t think Theo could make a more horrific noise than he already had. 

Stiles should have known better.

It’s a laugh, he knows, but it’s little more than a gurgle and then Theo does something even worse.

“God- _gah_ \- I love you.”

“Well, now, this is the worse thing you’ve ever done to me.”

“I wanted- a life with you.”

“And I want you to stop talking about this.”

“I do.”

“Stop.”

“Okay,” Theo gasps. “I will. Just- _ugh_ \- hold me. And I’ll stop.”

Stiles stares at him. He should just crawl away.

He doesn’t. 

He doesn’t expect Theo to actually stop talking, and he’s finds he’s right, because as soon as he has Theo leaning back against his chest, he looks up at Stiles and starts speaking again. 

“I love you- if you believe one thing- that’s it.”

“Okay,” Stiles says, not thinking it will actually get him to stop. 

“Look at me,” Theo pants, his face slick with sweat. “You are loved. _You_.”

Stiles pauses, because putting it that way- putting it that way-

“By you. You’re one of the only people to ever say that to me. What does that say about the kind of person I am?”

But his eyes are stinging, because right now the kind of person he feels like is someone powerless. Someone who couldn’t do anything, and he’s tired of it. He can’t even save the bad guy’s life and those are notoriously easy to save. 

He couldn’t save the people he did love and he can’t save the ones that-

But Theo’s still dying and he can’t do anything about that. He can’t lie, and won’t lie and tell Theo things he’s not even asking to hear. But-

Stiles presses his mouth against Theo’s wet forehead and keeps it there because he can’t handle pulling it away and having to acknowledge that the blood and mercury on Theo’s skin is now also on his own. 

“Best person-”

His voice makes Stiles believe he means it.

“Best,” Theo breathes again. 

“Stop,” Stiles whispers back, the metallic taste finally forcing its way into his mouth. 

And Theo does. 

Later, Stiles will tell himself that he doesn’t know when Theo actually dies, that it was too loud, his ears too weak, his mind too distracted.

He’ll tell himself that he believes it.


End file.
